Mince pies with frangipane are an elegant twist on this traditional British bake. These almond mince pies combine the classic juicy mincemeat filling with a soft, sweet almond topping. Adorn with icing and festive decorations if desired.
Fancy a sharing tart? Opt for my frangipane mincemeat tart instead. It's great with custard.
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Why I love This Recipe
- Deep-filled: Using muffin tins for these iced mince pies means there is enough room for lots of mincemeat and plenty of frangipane topping.
- Great combination of flavour: The shortcrust pastry is buttery with just a hint of sweetness, the mincemeat is rich, fruity and tangy whilst the almond topping is sweet, buttery & nutty. The flavours are lovely.
- Easy: There is nothing complicated about this recipe. Even the icing is simple.
- Fun & festive: Mince pies are a true classic British bake during December, but these iced minced pies with almond topping add fresh appeal to the taste, texture and appearance.
Jump to:
What is frangipane?
Frangipane is a flourless sponge cake mixture made from butter, sugar, egg and ground almonds. Sometimes recipes might also include a splash of almond extract.
Sweet and creamy frangipane is often used in French baking and it is the traditional topping found on a Bakewell tart. It's also great paired with fruit, for example, in a tangy blackberry frangipane tart.
Ingredients Notes
Shortcrust pastry: I've included the recipe for a slightly sweetened shortcrust pastry made from butter, plain flour, icing sugar and water. You can use storebought shortcrust pastry if you wish to - you will need approximately 500g.
Mincemeat: I used my favourite homemade cherry mincemeat but feel free to use quality storebought mincemeat if desired.
Ground almonds: Also known as almond meal, this ingredient is easy to find in the baking aisle of most supermearkets. You can make your own by pulsing flaked or blanched almonds in a food processor until fine.
Decorations: A drizzle of water icing made from icing sugar and water plus some seasonal sugar decorations work a treat.
Step by Step Instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Stir the flour, 50g icing sugar and salt together in a bowl. Cube the butter and add to the bowl.
Step 2. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Use a blunt knife to stir enough water in to form a soft (not sticky) dough.
Step 3. Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured worktop then shape into a disc, wrap in food wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 4. Roll out to 2mm thickness and cut large circles to line the holes in a muffin tin. Prick the bases with a fork then cover with food wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
Step 5. To make the frangipane topping cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use electric beaters). Then add the egg and beat well.
Step 6. Fold in the ground almonds using a large metal spoon.
Step 7. Put 15g mincemeat into the base of each pastry shell then top with 15-20g frangipane mixture. Spread it out using a blunt knife. Bake for around 22 minutes.
Step 8. Let your pies cool completely then mix the icing sugar and water together to form a smooth paste. Pipe the icing onto the mince pies and add decorative sprinkles if desired.
Storage Instructions
These mince pies with frangipane are best eaten within 48 hours but are fine to eat for up to 5 days. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container. Do not store them in the fridge as this will soften the pastry.
Expert Tips
Top Tip: You will need to use a muffin tin to allow plenty of room for both the mincemeat and the frangipane topping. Regular mince pie tins are not deep enough.
- Use strips of baking parchment to help remove the baking pies from the baking tin: If you are at all worried about your mince pies sticking to the tin, this easily solves the problem.
- Don't overfill the pastry shell: The frangipane mixture will rise as it bakes, so cramming the pastry cases to the top with extra mincemeat and frangipane batter will lead to them overflowing.
- Avoid a soggy bottom: To ensure the base of your frangipane mince pies bakes sufficiently without overbaking the almond topping, put a baking sheet into the oven as it preheats and them put the filled muffin tin directly onto the baking sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whilst you can use marzipan to top mince pies, marzipan and frangipane are not the same thing at all. If you want to top your mince pies with marzipan, I recommend using regular sized tart tins rather than the deep muffin tins required for this frangipane tart recipe. Marzipan can be rolled out, cut into circles or stars and laid on top of the mincemeat in place of a pastry top to the mince pies.
Yes, they can. However, if you plan to freeze them do not add the icing or sprinkles as these will be adversely affected once defrosted. They can be addred once the frangipane mince pies have defrosted though.
Not all mincemeat is suitable for vegetarians as it may contain suet made from animal fat. Check the label of storebought mincemeat carefully. Alternatively, make your own mincemeat using vegetable suet.
Variations and Serving Suggestions
- Almond garnish: Forego the icing and sprinkles and garnish with almonds instead. To do so, either scatter flaked almonds over the frangipane topping or press a whole almond lightly into it before baking.
- Orange zest: Fold 1 tablespoon of finely grated orange zest into the frangipane mixture for a fresh, citrussy burst of flavour to your almond mince pies.
- Serve warm: Again, forego the icing and serve your frangipane mince pies with custard, brandy-laced single cream, clotted cream or ice cream.
Have you made this recipe for mince pies with frangipane? Please rate the recipe or leave a comment - I love hearing how you get along with my creations.
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Mince Pies with Frangipane
Equipment
- 1 x 12 hole muffin tin (traditional mince pie tins are not deep enough)
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 150 g Butter cold
- 260 g Plain flour all-purpose flour
- 40 g Icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 4-5 tablespoons Water ice cold
For the mince pies with frangipane
- 60 g Butter room temperature
- 60 g Caster sugar
- 1 Egg large, free range
- 60 g Ground almonds
- 180 g Mincemeat
Decoration
- 100 g Icing sugar
- 3 teaspoons Water cold
- Festive sugar shape decorations
Instructions
Make the pastry
- Stir the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a bowl. Cube the butter and add to the bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.260 g Plain flour, 40 g Icing sugar, ¼ teaspoon Salt, 150 g Butter
- Use a blunt knife to stir enough water in to form a soft (not sticky) dough - add 4 tablespoons to begin with and more if necessary.4-5 tablespoons Water
- Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured worktop then shape into a disc, wrap in food wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile put a baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 180℃/ 350℉. Cut 24 strips of baking parchment approximately 1cm wide and 15cm in length.
- Roll the pastry out to 2mm thickness and cut 12 large pastry circles out - I used a cookie cutter with a diameter of 10cm. You will cut about 8 circles on the first roll. Scoop up the offcuts, gently form a ball and re-roll to cut out 4 more circles.
- When pressing the pastry circles into the muffin tin cavities, first lay 2 of the baking parchment strips across each hole at right angles to each other, then gently ease the pastry into the cavity - the baking strips will get trapped underneath. It can be a bit fiddly, but you use the strips to pull the baked mince pies out of the holes easily.
- Prick the bases with a fork then cover with food wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
Make the frangipane and fill the pies
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use electric beaters). Then add the egg and beat well.60 g Butter, 60 g Caster sugar, 1 Egg
- Fold in the ground almonds using a large metal spoon.60 g Ground almonds
- Put 15g mincemeat into the base of each pastry shell then top with 15-20g frangipane mixture. Spread it out using a blunt knife.180 g Mincemeat
- Put the muffin tin onto the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for around 20-22 minutes, turning the baking tin around after 15 minutes for an even bake. They are done when the pastry is golden and the frangipane is golden brown and looks puffed up.
- Remove from the oven and let the mince pies cool in the baking tin.
Decoration
- When the mince pies have cooled completely, mix the icing sugar with the water to form a smooth icing. Fit a small round nozzle into a piping back and put the icing into it.100 g Icing sugar, 3 teaspoons Water
- Pipe the icing across the top of a mince pie, first in one direction, then at 90 degrees to form a criss-cross pattern.
- If using decorative sugar shapes attach them to the top of the mince pie by placing them on the icing (or piping a small blob into the centre of the pie to attach them.
- Repeat for the remaining mince pies then leave to set for 30 minutes.
Notes
- Use a muffin tin: This allows plenty of room for both the mincemeat and the frangipane topping. Regular mince pie tins are not deep enough
- Use strips of baking parchment to help remove the baking pies from the baking tin: If you are at all worried about your mince pies sticking to the tin, this easily solves the problem.
- Don't overfill the pastry shell: The frangipane mixture will rise as it bakes, so cramming the pastry cases to the top with extra mincemeat and frangipane batter will lead to them overflowing.
- Avoid a soggy bottom: To ensure the base of your frangipane mince pies bakes sufficiently without overbaking the almond topping, put a baking sheet into the oven as it preheats and them put the filled muffin tin directly onto the baking sheet.
- These mince pies with frangipane are best eaten within 48 hours but are fine to eat for up to 5 days. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container. Do not store them in the fridge as this will soften the pastry.
- Freeze them before adding the icing and sugar shaps: These will be adversely affected once defrosted. They can be added once the frangipane mince pies have defrosted though.
- Not all mincemeat is suitable for vegetarians: Some contains suet made from animal fat. Check the label of storebought mincemeat carefully. Alternatively, make your own mincemeat using vegetable suet.
- Almond garnish: Forego the icing and sprinkles and garnish with almonds instead. To do so, either scatter flaked almonds over the frangipane topping or press a whole almond lightly into it before baking.
- Orange zest: Fold 1 tablespoon of finely grated orange zest into the frangipane mixture for a fresh, citrussy burst of flavour.
- Serve warm: Again, forego the icing and serve your frangipane mince pies with custard, brandy-laced single cream, clotted cream or ice cream.
Jane Coupland says
This is a lovely twist on classic mince pies. I hope you enjoy them too.